Operation Desert Sting

Operation Desert Sting (2 August 2008) was a military operation of the Iraq War carried out by the US Marine Corps against Islamic State of Iraq insurgents in Almaden. After a unit of American troops under Roger B. Evans came under heavy fire from a mosque at Almaden, the Americans launched an assault on the mosque that killed the terrorist leader Abu Tarek al-Harithi and succeeded in taking back the city.

History
On 29 July 2008, a squad of US Marine Corps soldiers under Roger B. Evans came under heavy fire from a mosque in Almaden, Iraq that was fortified by Islamic State of Iraq militants under Abu Tarek al-Harithi during a routine patrol. As a result, the USMC called for reinforcements to assist them in clearing the area of hostile presence, and the Marines advanced on the occupied mosque and police station. The Americans engaged the Iraqi insurgents in heavy combat, and al-Harithi was killed in battle during a firefight for control of a building used as a firing position by several marines. The battle resulted in an American victory, with the Americans inflicting heavy losses on the insurgents despite suffering a significant amount of losses themselves.